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Summary of Events * Sir Madog Brings News From Salisbury... Including His Own Sad News * Lady Margawse and Lady Elaine are Married To King Lot and King Nentres Respectively * Sir Rhodri Asks How He Can Prove Himself Worthy Of Lady Jenna's Love: Earl Roderick Charges Him To Find The Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant * The Hag Who Cursed Sir Rhodri's Sister Is Sought Out, And Her Guardian Bandits Slain * Not One, But Three Witches Who Can Turn Into Giant Ravens Are Defeated; The Curse Is Lifted * Riding Back To Cornwall, Merlin Recruits The Knights To Protect Him * Merlin Is Protected... Until They Realise It's From Sir Brastias And King Uther's Men * A Treason Trial Is Held. The Knights Were Party To Merlin Kidnapping Uther's Newborn Son! * Earl Roderick, Sir Elad the Elder, Bishop Roger and Father Dewi Speak For The Knights, Who Are Honest With The King.. * King Uther Pronounces The Knights Innocent, Victims Of Merlin's Magic. Merlin Is Exiled & Sentenced To Death. Details * Spring Court Is At Tintagel; Relief After A Boring Stint Of Duty At Terrabil over The Winter For Many Salisbury Knights ** Sir Madog Brings News Of A Baby Boom.... But Also Of The Death of His Wife. *** The baby boom includes the pregnant Lady Ygraine as well as Sir Aeron, Sir Geriant, Sir Elad and even extends to Sir Aeron's remarried mother. ** Uther, Content With His Pregnant Wife, Speaks Of A Year Of Peace: The Saxons Of King Ælle Will Have To Wait ** Many foreign kings have attended to chase the hands of Lady Margawse and Lady Elaine. *** The kings include King Lot of Lothian, King Uriens, King Nentres of Garloth, King Nanteleod of Estregales and even an Irish king! ** The knights are fed up of their garrison duty and appeal for the chance to return to their manors for a time. Their liege Earl Roderick agrees. ** Sir Rhodri questions how his appeal for marriage is proceeding. Earl Roderick says he will take it seriously but Duke Corneus of Lindsey is also interested. He wishes to decide in the next few years. *** Sir Rhodri asks if any task would be worth of his daughter's hand: Earl Roderick suggests acquiring a magical treasure, the Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant. **** Legends say the item boils meat for brave men only. If a meal was cooked by the Cauldron, Sir Rhodri's valorous would be unquestioned. *** Sir Rhodri vows to search for the Cauldron and bring it to Earl Roderick before the 20th birthday of Lady Jenna. Earl Roderick vows not to marry her before that. * The weddings of the elder of Ygraine's daughters are held. The beautiful Margawse marries King Lot, the most powerful man in the north; Elaine becomes the wife of Nentres and queen of Garloth. * The Knights return to Salisbury and check on their lands. ** Sir Rhodri is reminded of his sister's curse and the hag who caused it when she was travelling to Amesbury. Could this pagan enchantress know where the Caudtron is? ** A stop is made at the tomb of Sir Albanus and the extravagant marble effigy erected in the name of Madog's wife. * The search for the hag takes them to Chute Forest, north of Amesbury, where peasants say a hag dwells in an abandoned tower. ** The peasants get surlier and less communicative the closer to the forest the knights get - as though they are scared of, or perhaps in league with, their target ** Outside the tower a group of bandits are in the pay of the witch: they refuse to let the knights pass and start talking back to their betters. *** The bandits are either slain or chased of, but at a cost - Sir Elad is seriously injured. ** The knights must climb up to a first floor to enter the tower - the door has been filled in, and no secret entrance can be located, ** Within, three youthful, naked and seductive women throw themselves at the knights - Sir Aeron and Sir Madog are tempted, but Sir Rhodri stays pure. ** When Sir Rhodri strikes them, the beautiful women turn into hags and monstrous giants ravens. *** Two are put to the sword and one is forced to vow to remove the curse from Rhodri's sister. **** She gives an African Warthog bone, which must be ground into dust and mixed with flour to form bread - when a loaf of that bread is eaten, she will be cured. **** She doesn't know where the Cauldron is, but knows a man who may - a hermit who dwells on the Isle of Beasts, a land guarded by a giant. ** Sir Elad is too injured to continue, so the knights return to their manors to rest up. ** The bread is made and Sir Rhodri's sister's curse is removed. * The knights ride out to Cornwall to return to their duties but meet Merlin on the way who asks of their help. ** The knights wait on a forest path until Merlin returns, carrying a bundle and asking them to delay the warriors coming. *** Sir Aeron hears a crying sound - the bundle is a child. ** The knights clash with the warriors chasing Merlin and occupy them for a few minutes.... until they see their coats of arms and realise they are Sir Brastias, Uther's bodyguard! ** The knights are charged by Sir Brastias with treason; the royal household does not share it's fire with them. These are very serious charges and an slur upon their honour. *** Sir Elad the Elder and Bishop Roger council them beforehand - the knights are honest with them. **** Father Dewi, "The Waterman", also interviews them *** At the hearing, the knights are questioned by Uther while Ygraine calls for their death. *** Sir Elad the Elder and Bishop Roger speak for the good character of the knights, Earl Roderick has vouched for them - he's put his neck on the line for them. *** Father Dewi blames Merlin for enchanting the knights and Uther for letting the son of a devil into his court. "Cast out the son of the devil from your court! Cast him out of Britain!" *** Uther finds the knights innocent. Merlin is exiled from Logres on pain of death. * Christmas Court at Sarum involves the knights thanking those who helped them in their trial. ** Sir Aeron QQQ ** Sir Elad QQQ ** Sir Geriant QQQ ** Sir Leander QQQ ** Sir Madog QQQ ** Sir Rhodri QQQ